Market Basket warehouse and office workers given ultimatum

Hundreds of Market Basket employees received letters Tuesday giving them the ultimatum of returning to work by Friday or losing their jobs.

The letters, from CEOs Felicia Thornton and Jim Gooch, which went to warehouse and office workers, said "We are writing one final time, to invite you to return to work and perform your job obligations."

The letters were first posted to social media sites and then confirmed as authentic for NewsCenter 5 by a Market Basket manager.

For workers who do not return to work, "the company will consider you to have abandoned your job, thereby ending your employment with the company," the letter said. Some 200 employees received the letter, Market Basket said.

The letter was sent only to those employees that have failed to report to work at Market Basket headquarters and distribution center.

The letters arrived the day after three independent Market Basket board members called again for the supermarket chain's protesting employees to return to work, and customers to return, and said they are available to negotiate an end to a battle over control of the company.

"We must end this zero sum game and act in the best interests of our Associates, customers - and in the end, our company. We are ready to meet. It's time," the three directors said in a statement Monday.

The directors said last week they had proposed that fired CEO Arthur T. Demoulas and his management team return, without taking control, to assist a return to normal operations as talks continue on his bid to buy out other family members who own a majority of the company. Demoulas, through a spokeswoman, rejected that as a "disingenuous" attempt to have him stabilize the company while they consider selling it to another bidder. Demoulas had offered Aug. 3 to return as CEO during the talks.

On Sunday, he said in a statement issued by a spokeswoman that his offers to buy Market Basket "have been rejected, not on the basis of price, but with counterproposals that have been laden with onerous terms that are far beyond comparable transactions."

Demoulas was fired in June by a board controlled by his rival cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas.

The power struggle has led to protests by thousands of employees and a boycott by customers, leading to a steep drop in sales at the chain with 71 stores in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.

The shareholders aligned with Arthur S. Demoulas - the current head of the board - said they were willing to accept the purchase price offered by Arthur T. Demoulas, but added that he was unwilling to accept financing for the deal that was secured by collateral and that included a reasonable payment schedule.

The offer for the private company has not been disclosed, but an industry publication estimates the company's value at up to $3.5 billion.

Arthur T. Demoulas said his offer was made at a "pre-crisis" valuation of the company. His spokeswoman said he hopes the rival family faction will reach an agreement "before it is too late to save this company."

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BASKET ARE FACING AN ULTIMATUM TO GET BACK TO WORK ON FRIDAY OR LOSE THEIR JOBS. THE "EYEOPENER'S" JIM LOKAY IS LIVE IN CHELSEA THIS MORNING WITH A WARNING GOING OUT TO HUNDREDS, JIM. THE COMPANY'S WOES ARE ALREADY EVIDENT AS STORES LIKE HERE IN CHELSEA WHERE PART TIMERS HAD THEIR HOURS CUT TO ZERO THIS WEEK. THE LATEST ULTIMATE I AM AFFECTED THOSE WHO WORK IN WAREHOUSES AND DISTRIBUTION CENTERS. THE MESSAGE, COME BACK TO WORK OR ELSE. AS THE PROTESTS AND THE PICKETING CONTINUE AT MARKET BASKET, NEARLY 200 EMPLOYEES WHO WALKED OFF THE JOB IN SUPPORT OF OUSTED C.E.O. ARTHUR T. DEMOULAS ARE STANDING STRONG. I'M A GROCERY DEPARTMENT BUYER, AND I'M GOING TO BE OUT HERE FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES. THE COMPANY'S NEW C.E.O.'S ARE TELLING THEM COME BACK OR ELSE. THESE ARE HUNDREDS OF WAREHOUSE, DISTRIBUTION CENTER, AND FRONT OFFICE EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE RECEIVED LETTERS FROM THE NEW C.E.O. SAYING, "RETURN TO WORK AND CONTACT EITHER OF US PRIOR TO AUGUST 15th TO REVIEW THE WORK YOU'RE PERFORMING. SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO IGNORE EITHER OF THESE DIRECTIVES, THE COMPANY WILL FIND YOU TO HAVE ABANDONED YOUR JOB, THEREBY ENDING EMPLOYMENT WITH THE COMPANY." THE ONLY COURSE OF ACTION IS FOR ARTHUR T. AND ARTHUR S. TO BRING IN A MEDIATOR AND FOCUS ON CLOSING THE DEAL. ARE YOU GOING TO CHOOSE LOYALTY OVER BEING ABLE TO PAY YOUR BILLS? THAT'S A TERRIBLE SITUATION TO BE IN. I THINK THAT IT'S UNFAIR, IF YOU WILL, FOR THE BOARD TO PUT THOSE PEOPLE IN THAT KIND OF POSITION. NO INDICATION ON ANY BREAK IN